Steven Universe Future: A New Era
by Channel A.M.C
Summary: After the events of Prickly Pair, Steven has never felt more empty. With the Garden not turning out the way he had hoped, and the Crystal Gems being concerned about him, Steven decides that he needs to leave Beach City for a while. But soon enough, Steven will encounter something life changing on his journey.
1. Ch 1: Feelings of Emptiness

_Disclaimer:_ I do not own anything except for the story. Steven Universe, Steven Universe the Movie, and Steven Universe Future are all owned by Cartoon Network, and Rebecca Sugar.

**WARNING!: **This story takes place during the events of Steven Universe Future, and after the movie, so there are obviously going to be spoilers. If you haven't watched any of those, I suggest that you do. Otherwise, read at your own discretion.

With that all said, let's get started.

———————————————

_Ch 1: Feelings of Emptiness_

Steven Universe. The human/gem hybrid, and son of Greg Universe and Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond. The boy who saved the galaxy from Homeworld, and even 'redeemed' the Diamonds. The hero who brought peace to Earth and Homeworld, and helped Gems learn how to live life on Earth at Little Homeschool.

And yet, in spite of all the great things he's done, he finds himself feeling...

Empty...

Right now, Steven was currently laying in his bed, staring at the ceiling as the sun begins to rise. He could barely sleep after everything that happened.

Yesterday, he and the Crystal Gems had fought against Cactus Steven, which he had brought to life with his spit. He thought he could talk to Cactus Steven about what he was feeling because he assumed the plant wouldn't tell the Gems. That ended up being a mistake, as his venting towards the plant caused it to copy him and go berserk. He managed to calm the sentient plant down, and apologized for not treating it better, but Cactus Steven left after he was calmed. Steven didn't want him to leave though, and tried to convince him to stay. Cactus Steven simply gave Steven one of the flowers that bloomed on his back, and then left.

The worst part about it for Steven, however, was that since the Gems heard all of the things Cactus Steven said, which were stuff that he vented about, now they were starting to get concerned. They shouldn't be concerned about him. Steven could handle it himself. Besides, they wouldn't be able to understand. They couldn't understand before.

Steven began to contemplate on what he should do now. He quit Little Homeschool, and he stopped going to his Garden, so what else could he do? No one else needed him anymore, and his friends were moving on to bigger and better things. Even Connie will be going to college in two years, so what was left?

'What else is left for me here...?', Steven thought to himself. He didn't have an answer for that. Amethyst tried asking him about what he wants for his future, but his answer back then was still to help people. However, no one needs his help now. Everyone is solving problems on their own, and even when he tried to help when it wasn't necessary, he ended up doing more harm than good. The question that he asked himself while talking to Cactus Steven suddenly pops back in his head.

(Flashback)

_"Why do I need to be needed?"_

(Back to present)

It was strange. He asked himself that out of frustration back then, but now that he thinks about it, he's not really sure why. Why does he need to be needed by others? Why is it more important to solve everyone else's problems, but not his own? Why can't he solve them on his own?

"Why...?"

He kept thinking on this as he got up from his bed. He tried so hard to think of an answer to these questions, but he just couldn't seem to find one. So he started thinking about how he could maybe find the answers he's looking for. There was only one thing that came to mind.

Leave Beach City.

It was the only answer he could think of right now. Since he couldn't seem to find any answers here, and he seemed to just be a burden anyway, leaving Beach City felt like the only option. Of course he's not gonna leave forever, but he just needs to be away for a while. Maybe then he'll be able to find the answers he's looking for.

He started to pack up a few of his things. Mostly his essentials. He didn't really plan on being gone for too long, but he didn't know what could happen.

"Steven."

The boy jumped in surprise as he heard his name being called out from behind. He turned around to see Garnet standing in front of the stairs.

"H-hey, Garnet. I was just, uh... packing up a few things. I'm planning on heading out for a while." He stammered.

"You're planning to leave Beach City.", Garnet said. Steven flinched when she said that. She must have used her future vision, and saw that he was about to leave. Probably means she came to stop him, but who knows?

"Look, I don't plan on being gone for long. I just... need to get away from everything right now.", Steven said.

"You say that, but you also sound like you don't know how long you'll be gone."

The boy frowned at that. She was somewhat right. He really didn't know how long he'd be gone, but did it matter? The whole reason he was leaving was so that he could find the answers he was looking for. Once that was done, he'd return home. She shouldn't be worried that he wouldn't come back, because he would.

"Does it matter? I'm gonna come back. I'm not abandoning you guys.", Steven said with a bit of irritation.

"I never said you were. The reason I'm here isn't to stop you, Steven. I just want to let you know..."

The Fusion walks towards Steven, and puts a hand on his shoulder.

"... If you ever need to talk to someone, we're here for you. You can even call us.", Garnet said softly. Steven was stunned. He had assumed that Garnet was here to try and stop him from leaving because of whatever it is she saw with her future vision, but he was wrong. All she did was tell him that he could talk to her or the other Gems if he wanted or needed to. While he was certainly relieved, it didn't make him feel better.

Of course Steven knew that he could talk to them, but why should he? They didn't need to be burdened by his problems. That was something for him to deal with alone. He could fix it himself... eventually.

"Yeah... thanks, Garnet. I should probably tell Pearl, Amethyst, and my dad that I'm leaving."

"Leave that to me. You go out and take your vacation."

"... It's not exactly a vacation, but okay."

After packing up everything he wanted to bring with him, he heads for the door. He's about to exit when Garnet calls out to him again.

"Oh, Steven! There's one more thing I forgot!"

"What?", He asked. Garnet puts her hands together to form a heart, and gives Steven a bright smile.

"I love you.", Garnet said.

Steven chuckled at the gesture.

"Heh heh, love you too."

After that, Steven exited the house. He grabbed his car keys out of his pocket while walking down the stairs, and unlocked his car. He entered his vehicle, and started it up. Before he began driving, however, he pulled out his phone, and went to his contacts. He kept searching until he found Connie Maheswaran. He decided to send her a text letting her know he was leaving. He would call her, but it was still kind of early, and she was probably at school right about now.

(Text Message)

_Biscuit: Hey Connie. I'm texting to let you know that I'm leaving Beach City for a while. I won't be gone for too long. I just need a break from everything right now. I hope you understand._

(Back to the real world)

After sending the text, he began to drive away. He passed by the Big Donut, then Spacetries, then Fish Stew Pizza, all while other people and Gems were waving at him. He waved back, but he felt bad about doing it. They didn't know that he was temporarily leaving. What would happen if they found out? What about Lapis, Peridot, and Bismuth? Should he let them know? Should he stop for a bit to tell them? Should he even lea-

'No! No, Steven. You have to do this. Besides, you're coming back.', Steven thought to himself.

Ignoring his previous thoughts, he continued to drive off into the distance. Little by little, he was getting farther and farther away from the small town. He looked back for a moment, seeing the distance between him and his home town before continuing to drive off.

Seeing that he could no longer see his town from the distance, he sighed to himself. As Steven kept on driving, he began wondering where he should go now. Since he left Beach City now, he had to find somewhere else to go. Yeah, he could always go back, and since he wasn't that far from Beach City yet, he still had time to change his mind about this.

"No... I can't go back until I've found what I'm looking for, or until I figure out that I can't find it."

And so, our hero continues onward, determined to find the answers to the questions he has. He hoped he'd be able to find it.

Little did he know, his life was about to change even more than it already had.

* * *

**_A/N: This is my first ever Steven Universe fanfic, so it probably won't be that great. I've had this idea for a story in my head for a while, but didn't have the proper motivation to write it. But after watching a certain movie that came out this month, it's inspired me to start writing this story. Just another heads up, there will be music and songs in this fanfic, and none of them are owned by me. But yeah, hopefully you guys liked this first chapter, and want to read more. Next chapter will introduce someone new, so stay tuned. Anyways, peace._**


	2. Ch 2: A New Face

_Ch 2: A New Face_

It's been over an hour since Steven left the small town known as Beach City, and he still hasn't stopped driving. No matter how much he thought, he just couldn't figure out where he wanted to go. There was still so much daytime left, and Steven didn't know how else to spend it other than driving. So that's what he did. He just continued to drive with no real destination in sight. At some point, he rolled the windows of his car down so he could feel the wind breeze. This actually managed to put a small smile on his face. The feeling of wind brushing his face as he continued down the road, going wherever it took him. It was a nice feeling for the boy, and for just a few moments, he forgot about all of the emptiness he had felt earlier.

However, the smile soon turned upside down as he remembered why he was driving in the first place. As good as this felt, he still needed to figure out what to do. He left Beach City so he could find his own answers to his own questions, but he wanted to come back as soon as possible. He'd miss his friends and family too much if he was gone for too long, especially Connie.

Speaking of, Steven wondered how his Jam Bud was doing. He wondered if she got the message, and what she thought about, and if she was angry right now about him leaving, but he figured she'd understand. Plus, she's got school to focus on, so she shouldn't worry about him.

'Yeah, Connie doesn't need to worry about me. I mean sure, we never hang out as much as we used to, and while I'd love to be able to hang out with her more, she's got more ... important things to do...'

It occurred to Steven just how much he missed Connie. Ever since they stopped the Diamonds invasion and he helped dismantle their empire, they weren't really able to hang out with each other often, especially now. He missed talking to her, training with her... being with her.

'Maybe after all of this is over, I can call her and ask if she'd like to hang out, or...' Before he could finish that thought, Steven saw the gas icon begin to point to the E for empty. He sighed to himself.

"Guess I'll have to make a stop for gas."

Luckily, there was a Gas Station just in front of him. How convenient. He made a left turn to the station, and parked his car in front of a service canal. After he exits his car, he begins to fill the tank with gas. He didn't have to worry about the cost because his Dad essentially forced a ton of money onto him.

After filling the tank, he enters the station building to pay for the gas. He also decided to get some snacks too for when he feels hungry. As he stops in front of the register, he's met with a middle aged woman with Ginger hair. She's wearing a uniform that seems to fit the color scheme of the gas station, so it's easy to tell she works here.

"Well hello there~.", the lady said.

Steven was startled by the way this lady greeted him.

"H-hi.", Steven stammered.

"Never seen you around here before."

"That's because this is my first time here."

"I see, and what's a handsome looking guy like yourself doing in a place like this?" The lady said with a flirty voice.

Steven blushed not at the prospect of being called handsome, but of someone he doesn't know calling him that. Being called handsome wasn't new to Steven. Pearl and Garnet often called him that, and Amethyst would talk about how good looking he was at times. That never really bothered him because they were his family, and it was natural for families to do that. But when someone he doesn't really know calls him handsome, especially someone he just met, he was prone to feeling a little embarrassed.

"U-um, I-I'm just uh...", Steven felt flustered.

The lady chuckled as Steven stammered with his words. "Don't worry, I'm just messing with ya. Now how can I help you, sir?"

Steven began to relax.

"I'm... just here to pay for the gas, and get a few snacks.", Steven said

"Sounds good, honey. But maybe you should pick out your snacks first, and then come back so you can pay for it all in one sitting.", The lady advised.

"... Right... I'll go do that."

"Take your time, sweetie.", the lady said. Steven left to go get a few snacks, and to try to clear his head from the embarrassment he felt. Honestly, the way she was teasing him reminded him of how awkward and nervous he could be around people. He never really felt like that around the people of Beach City. Mainly because they were familiar to him, but even as a kid, despite being shy at times, he never really felt awkward around anyone. Well there was Onion, but he managed to break past that as well.

But now that he was outside of Beach City, things were different. He was no longer surrounded by people he was familiar with, and even the buildings were new to him. It only served to remind him of how small he was compared to the rest of the world. Of course he already knew that, but he never really felt it to this extent, which was weird. He had been to space before, he fought off against multiple aliens, and even got stuck on a planet with Connie, yet here he was feeling awkward around one person.

'Guess it just goes to show that I'm not even good at being normal.', Steven thought to himself with a hint of bitterness.

Just as Steven finished grabbing what he wanted, a hooded figure carrying a duffel bag entered the station, and placed it in front of the cashier.

"Hey, what the he-", the lady was about to curse before the figure pulled out a gun, and pointed it at the lady. Now having a better look at the figure, she could see that they were wearing a hockey mask under the hood. But it was the voice that confirmed the figure was a man.

"Put the money in the bag.", the figure demanded.

Steven's eyes went wide as he witnessed the events unfolding behind him. A robbery was taking place. He quickly crouched down and hid behind the snack aisle to avoid detection. He hoped the thief didn't notice him, or was at least more focused on getting the money than he was on him. Steven had never been caught in the middle of a robbery before, but his dad always told him that should he find himself in that position, just keep calm, stay hidden, and call the police. And so he did.

Steven dialed the number, and waited for someone to pick up. After a few seconds, someone finally answered.

"911. What's your emergency?"

"Officer, there's a robbery taking place at Sunoco Gas Station.", Steven whispered.

"And where are you, sir?"

"I'm inside the gas station, hidden from the thief."

"Good, keep it that way. We'll be right there, but whatever you do, do not engage.", the officer ordered.

The officer hung up from there. Steven wondered how long it would take for them to get here. If it was Connie's dad, he'd probably be here in a second. But once again, he has to remind himself that this isn't Beach City. He wasn't sure if the police would make it in time.

"HEY! I KNOW YOU'RE THERE! SHOW YOURSELF IF YOU WANT THE LADY TO LIVE!", The thief yelled.

Steven's blood went cold. The thief found out he was here, and was threatening to kill the cashier if he didn't reveal himself. He didn't fear the thief, but he did fear for the woman's life. With no other choice, he stood up from where he was, and raised his hands in the air. The thief pointed his gun at Steven.

"Good. Now get in the corner, and don't move from there.", the thief said.

Steven decided to comply with that. He moved to the corner of the station, and didn't move after that. He wasn't afraid of this guy. He'd dealt with worse things. He could always use his powers to take him down, but he'd rather not draw that much attention to himself.

"Now you're gonna stay there, and keep your mouth shut."

"Why?", Steven asked

"Did you hear what I JUST F#*ING SAID!?", the thief yelled that last part.

"Yes, but why? You don't have to do this. You could just walk away right now."

"Utter ONE MORE WORD, AND YOU'RE GETTING-!" But before the thief could say anything else, a blue blur suddenly past between him and Steven. In the blink of an eye, the thief was suddenly stuck to a wall, his gun disarmed. Steven stood there surprised at what had just happened. One minute, the guy was holding a gun on him and the cashier. The next, he was trapped onto a wall without his weapon. One question came to the minds of Steven Universe and the Cashier.

'What just happened?'

* * *

Once the police arrived, they removed the thief from the wall and apprehended him. They then went to confront Steven, and ask him what had happened. She had blond hair, brown eyes, and her figure looked very similar to Lapis's, except she was more muscular.

"Hello, my name is Officer Coral, and if you don't mind, I'd like to ask a few questions.", Officer Coral stated.

"Uh n-no, I don't mind.", Steven said nervously.

"Alright then. First, what's your name?"

"Steven Universe."

"Okay, Mr. Universe. Can you describe in your own words what happened?", the officer asked.

"Well, I was getting some snacks from the station, until that guy came in and pointed a gun at the cashier, telling her to put the money in the bag. I hid myself from him once I learned what was happening, called the police, and tried to stay hidden. But then he threatened to kill the cashier, so I was forced to reveal myself and do as he says. I tried to keep talking to keep him distracted until you got here, but then some kind of... blue blur appeared. After that, I saw that the thief was stuck to the wall behind me."

"Is that it?", she asked.

"Yeah, that's it.", he answered.

"Thank you for your time then, Mr. Universe.", officer Coral said as she left him be after their talk.

Steven nods his head, and the officer walks back to her partner. Once Steven was alone, he began to ponder what it was that happened. Or rather, what caused this to happen. He knew that something or someone stopped the thief, but he didn't know who or what it was. He did have an idea, however.

'Could it be another Gem that we missed? Maybe another Homeworld gem that got lost?', Steven thought to himself. The boy doubted the latter, but it was also hard to believe the former. The Crystal Gems spent years hunting down any and all Corrupted Gems on Earth, and they've been cured. If they missed one, they probably would've realized that.

Plus, it didn't seem like that blur was just the Gem randomly attacking like a Corrupted Gem usually does. The attack was quick and precise. What really bothered him though was how fast it was. He had never seen a Gem move at that kind of speed. And if she's that fast, it would be almost impossible to catch her. Which asks the question...

"What kind of Gem is she?", He asked out loud to himself.

As Steven kept thinking to himself, Officer Coral began talking to her partner about today's events. He was a middle aged man with brown skin. He had black hair, hazel eyes, and a stubble for a beard.

"So what do we have today, Annie?", the new officer asked.

"Well, Officer Vik, we got the same situation as two days ago... and the day before that... and the last two weeks before that.", she states with some irritation.

"Again? This is the seventh time in the past two weeks that the Blue Blur has stopped a crime before we're even there.", Officer Vik complained.

"Don't remind me.", Officer Coral said with a bored expression on her face.

"I mean, how are we supposed to do our job when he or she keeps doing it for us?", Officer Vik asked in frustration.

"Calm down, Vik. The Blue blur's not taking our jobs.", Officer Coral stated.

"They might as well considering what we've been able to accomplish lately." Officer Carol sighed at that. She knew Vik was right. Even though she wouldn't admit it, their job was starting to get dull. Well, more dull than usual. They didn't really get much done because there wasn't much to be done. Every now and then on patrol, they would encounter something at least. Like someone breaking way past the speed limit, or even a burglar at someone's house.

But ever since the Blue Blur showed up, criminal activity had been even lower than it was now. As a result, they had pretty much nothing to do on patrol. Not that they had much to do in the beginning, but still.

Something that bugged her though was that she could swear she heard similar reports about a Blue Blur appearing somewhere in West Virginia; which was several hours away from here. If this was the case, then... what was he or she doing there?

* * *

As the police continued to talk with each other, and Steven began to drive away, a figure is seen zooming through the roads and into the forest in a blue blur. The figure kept zooming through the forest, and passing by rocks and obstacles at speeds impossible for a normal human to achieve. The figure than makes a stop in between its run, and we get to see what exactly looks like a teenage boy. The teenager was wearing a pair of worn out shoes, shorts that looked like they should be pants, but the legs were cut off, and a sleeveless sky blue shirt with some light dirt marks. The boy's skin was tan, his body was fairly muscular but skinny, he had dark blue short hair that was spiked behind him, and forest green eyes.

The figure smirks, revealing his teeth as he does, and he pumps his hands into the air.

"Oh yeah! Another day, another civilian saved.", he exclaimed. The mysterious young man then began to stretch his arms and legs for about a minute. He then pulled out what appeared to be a music player. He connected his headphones to it, put them in his ears, and pressed play.

**(Sonic Rivals 2 ost - Race to Win)**

The young man gets himself into a starting position, his right leg bent in front of him , his left leg stretched behind him, and both hands on the ground. He stared off into the distance as he prepared himself to run. When the music hits a certain beat, he takes off so fast that he breaks the sound barrier, creating a sonic boom.

He runs past some trees, moves out of the way of others. Same with rocks, and anything else that was in his way. As he keeps on running, he grins with excitement. He sees a small hill in front of him, and decides to run up it. When he reaches the edge, he jumps onto a tree. He jumps just as soon as he lands from tree to tree to tree. On the last tree, he leaps even higher, and soars into the sky. While he's in the air, his shirt is flailing around and from within the shirt, a blue gem can be seen on the young man's chest.

"Waaahooooooooo!", he shouted in excitement.

The boy soon begins to descend back to the ground. As he was about to reach the ground, he positioned himself so he would land on his feet. Once he did, the teen continued running, not stopping for anything or anyone.

"Gotta go fast!"

And with that, he zooms past everything, and vanished off to the distance.

* * *

**_A/N: This took me a few days to write. I debated on splitting this chapter to make things easier, but decided 'nah, I got this'. Anyway, there's our new someone. This guy is my OC. And yes, I know he seems very similar to Sonic the Hedgehog, but that's because my OC is inspired by him. There'll be more info on him and who his mother is later in the story. For now, stay tuned, and I'll see you in the next chapter. Peace._**


	3. Ch 3: Collision

_Ch 3: Collision_

A couple of hours have passed since the attempted robbery at the gas station. At the moment, Steven continued to drive along the road, all the while still thinking about the Gem that came in and stopped the thief at hyper speed.

Steven: "I've never seen a Gem move that fast. What type is she? She's probably an Era 1 Gem, but what Gem could move at such a high speed?"

Once again, there were more questions he had than answers. First it was why he felt that he needed to be needed by others, and now there's a Rogue Gem out there with powers that were unknown. And to make matters worse, this Gem appeared at the worst possible time. He was trying to get away from all of this gem stuff right now, and yet here it is, following him around.

Steven: "Grrrr, Why is it that even when I try to get away from it all, it still follows me!?"

For a brief moment, Steven's body glowed Pink. But after taking a deep breath, the glow vanished.

Steven: "You know what, this is fine. It's just one Gem, and it's not like I'm doing anything other than driving right now. Plus, she doesn't seem to be hurting anyone."

That was true. As far as Steven could tell, this Gem wasn't trying to hurt anyone. If anything, the Gem seemed to be actively trying to save people. She did save him and the Cashier Lady, even though he technically didn't need to be saved. Granted, he's only ever seen her save him and the Cashier, so he can't be sure if the Gem has been doing this for a while or not. Regardless, he'd take what he could get, and so far to him, the Gem seemed noble.

That thought caused Steven to consider another possibility.

Steven: "Could she be another Crystal Gem? An original like Bismuth, or Biggs?"

His thoughts were interrupted however, when a burst of blue energy suddenly exploded within the woods next to him. The energy hit his car, effectively shutting it down. The car came to a stop after several seconds, Steven would've complained, but he was too distracted from what just happened. He stared out the window to look at the woods that the surge of energy came from.

Steven: "That must've been from the Gem... I should probably check it out."

Steven got out of his car, and started walking into the woods. This was kind of a long shot, but Steven hoped he'd be able to catch up to the Gem, assuming she was still there. He wasn't sure what happened that caused such a huge amount of energy to spread across, but he figured it was the result of whatever the Gem was doing. He considered calling the Crystal Gems for assistance, but there were two reasons he chose not to. First was that he looked at his phone and saw that it was shut off as well when the blue energy hit. Second was because they were quite a distance away anyway. They probably wouldn't be able to make it here before the Gem left. So he decided to deal with this himself. As he usually does.

Steven: "Let's look on the bright side. This is another problem I can solve on my own. Whatever issues this Gem might have, I can fix it... probably."

Minutes went by as Steven kept looking around for the Gem, but found nothing. He was about to give up his search, but then he heard a voice. It sounded as if someone was grunting in pain. He walked towards the voice until he saw what it was. A young man laying in the ground, looking and sounding like he recently got hurt.

Steven: "Oh my gosh, are you okay?"

The boy in question opened his eyes to see a young man who looked to be around his age. He was wearing what looked like a pink varsity jacket, and a black shirt with a yellow star underneath. The boy was surprised to see someone else here, especially someone who looked to be the same age as him.

Nevertheless, the young man began to stand on his feet, brushing off any dirt on him.

????: "I'm fine. Just hit a tree, no big deal... but who the heck are you?"

Steven was stunned at how easily this guy seemed to brush off his pain. Must be pretty tough. Snapping out of his thoughts, he decided that maybe he should introduce himself.

Steven: "Uh hi, I'm Steven. Steven Universe."

????: "... Your last name is Universe?"

Steven: "Yeah."

????: "Huh... neat. My name is Carlos Cloudian."

The two shook hands after introducing their names. Now that Steven got a better look at the boy, now named Carlos, he noticed just how worn out a lot of clothes looked. Especially the shoes. They looked very dirty, almost torn as well.

Steven: "Uh how long have you been wearing those?"

Carlos looked down at his feet, seeing how worn out they've gotten.

Carlos: "These? I've only had 'em for a few weeks."

Steven: "Weeks? And they're this dirty already?"

Carlos: "Yeah. Tends to happen a lot truth be told."

Steven: "You mean this isn't- you know what, never mind. That isn't important right now."

Carlos: "If you say so. But what are you even doing here in the middle of the woods?"

Steven: "My car shut down because of a blue energy wave that came from here. I was hoping to be able to figure out what it was, but I guess the one that caused this is gone."

The dark blue haired boy's body suddenly shifted nervously.

Carlos: "Oh... ... well then... ... this is awkward."

Steven: "What does that mean?"

Carlos didn't know what he was thinking right now. Is he really so stupid that he would tell this guy he just met that he was essentially responsible for busting up his car? But then again, maybe it's not so bad. This was his fault after all, so he should take responsibility. And since this guy was alone, there didn't seem to be any harm in telling him. Hopefully, he wouldn't get too mad.

Carlos: "Okay, don't be mad, but... that might've been me."

Steven: "... What?"

Carlos: "Yeah, I'm sorry. But hey, it should be working now. The blast wasn't huge, so the effects shouldn't last."

Steven's eyes widened in surprise. If he was expecting anything, it wasn't this. Apparently it wasn't a Gem that caused his car to turn off, but this person standing in front of him. While he didn't sound like he was lying, Steven found it hard to believe. He's seen a lot of weird things happen because of Gems, but he's never heard of a human being able to do something like that. The only human that was able to do anything similar to what the Gems could do was Steven himself, but that's because he was only half human.

Steven: 'Wait... no, there's no way... is there?'

Carlos: "Um... you okay?"

Steven: "Huh? Oh, yeah I'm fine. I'm just wondering... if you really did that, how did you do it?"

Carlos: "Heh heh, well you see, I'm not exactly a normal guy. In fact, there's one nickname that people have been referring to me as ever since I started saving lives."

Saving lives? What did he mean? He's been saving people? How long has he been doing this? How did he or the Crystal Gems not know anything about this? Just who is this guy?

Suddenly, Steven's mind wanders back to that robbery. Someone went in there with blazing speed, and saved him and the Cashier.

Steven: "The Blur..."

Carlos: "Yep! The one and only Blue Blur! Accept no substitutes."

Steven: "But... how?"

Carlos: "You might find this weird and hard to believe, but it's actually because of this."

Carlos pulled the collar of his shirt down to reveal a blue oval shaped gem on his chest. It had a very unique facet and cut.

Steven was utterly shocked. He had assumed that a Gem was what was running around, only to be proven... well, half-right. It wasn't just a Gem, but a human with a Gem on his body.

Steven: "You're a... Hybrid?"

Carlos: "Uuuh, what?"

Steven: "You're a Human Gem Hybrid... just like me."

Carlos: "Woah woah woah, what are you talking about?"

Steven lifted his shirt up to reveal the Gem in his belly button. Carlos stared at the Gem with surprise equal to Steven's.

Carlos: "No way..."

Both Steven and Carlos just stood where they were as the wind blew past them, both taking in the revelation that each of them had a Gem, and were also human. As this new information began to sink in, one thought came across both of their minds.

Steven/Carlos: 'I'm not the only one."

* * *

**_A/N: This chapter ended up being shorter than I wanted it to be. There were some more things I wanted to write in this chapter, but I guess I'll save it for the other ones since I'm feeling lazy. Hopefully this is an okay chapter for you guys. But anyways, stay tuned, and I'll see you in the next chapter. Peace._**


	4. Author’s Note

**_So... I guess you're probably wondering when the next chapter's gonna come out. It's in the works right now, but I'm not really sure I can get it done right now. The reason for this is because since the new episodes of SUF came out, I've been watching them in order to see what happens. It's been helping come up with a few ideas on how to continue this, but at the same time, I don't really want to write anything until the new episodes have all been aired. And since SUF is coming to an end this week, I wanna be able to watch that first before writing anything else for this story. Hopefully you guys understand. But anyways, I'll get the chapter done as soon as I can after the Finale, but until then, I wanna see what happens. For now, let's all brace our hearts and pray for Steven's safety._**

**_Peace._**


	5. Ch 4: Associates

_Ch 4: Associates_

Steven and Carlos had been staring at each other for the past minute, still digesting what they've recently learned. In the span of 5 minutes, they met under weird circumstances, introduced themselves, and now they know that they are both Hybrids.

Carlos: "You're..."

Steven: "... Just like me."

Steven was simply awestruck. He didn't think it was possible. Well, more like he thought it wasn't likely that there was another Hybrid like him out there. It was just very hard to believe. Another Gem, willing to give up their life to birth a human baby? It seemed very unlikely. But now, there was someone with a gem on his chest who looked very much human right in front of him. He didn't know how to feel about this, or even what to feel.

Carlos was also thinking the exact same thing. But while he didn't know how to feel about it at first, he eventually did start feeling one thing in particular.

Excitement.

Carlos: "This... is... Awesome! Ha ha ha, I didn't think there was anyone else like me!"

Steven: "..."

Carlos: "I mean, I figured that it was possible for there to be more Hybrids, but I've never seen another one up close and personal."

Steven: "..."

Carlos: "I always thought to myself 'there's no way I'm the only one, right?'. I mean the fact that I even exist to begin with means it's totally possible. And low and below, it's actually true!"

Steven just continued to watch Carlos ramble on and on about how incredible this whole revelation was. In truth, Steven would probably be feeling the same way as this guy, or similar, if not for the things that were already going through his head before this even happened. There was already a lot going on in his mind, and now this guy shows up and just so happens to be a Hybrid like him? How? What kind of Gem does he have? Do the Gems know about this? Have they always known?

Carlos: "Uh dude... you alright?"

Steven gasped quietly in surprise when he realized he began glowing pink in front of this person. He took a few seconds to steady himself, his pink glow diminishing again.

Steven: "I'm fine... it's just some baggage. That's all."

Carlos: "You sure you're fine? The look on your face and pink glow tell me otherwise."

Steven: "It's fine. It's just... something with my powers."

Carlos: "Huh... alright then. But back to my previous question, what kind of Gem do you have?"

Steven just stood there curiously, wondering when he had been asked this question. The dark blue haired boy must've asked him while he was stuck in his own thoughts.

Steven: "What?"

Carlos: "I said what kind of Gem do you have? It looks like a rose quartz from what I see. A very pink one too."

Steven almost flinched from the wording. The other teenager couldn't have been anymore accurate, even when he didn't really know what Gem he had. Since the boy was already asking, Steven figured telling him wouldn't hurt much. It didn't seem like this guy had any gripe with any Gem.

Steven: "It's... a bit complicated."

Carlos: "Why?"

Steven: "While it does look like a rose quartz, it's not. It's actually... a diamond. At least, that's what my mom was."

Carlos seemed confused for a bit, but shrugged it off like it didn't mean much, which almost surprised Steven.

Carlos: "Cool! Must mean you've got a bunch of different abilities. You seem pretty lucky."

Steven: 'You don't... you have no idea, do you?'

Before Steven could think about the question he asked himself, he heard a loud growl. He looked around to try and find the source, only to look back at the other hybrid and see him slightly rubbing his stomach area while smiling sheepishly.

Carlos: "Heh heh, sorry. I'm just a bit hungry. You... wouldn't happen to have any food or money on you, would you?"

Steven knew what the other boy was asking for. He felt conflicted. On one hand, this person was a complete stranger, and he barely knows anything about him aside from the fact he's a hybrid like him. On the other hand, this guy doesn't seem too bad. He did just save him and the Cashier back at the station. Plus, he was a hybrid like him. This might be Steven's only chance to make a new friend with someone that isn't a Gem. Or at least, not all Gem.

Steven: "Well... I mean... I have a few snacks back at my car if you want some..."

Carlos: "Yes, please! I am famished."

Steven almost chuckled at the dramatic response. He began walking back, making sure to remember the way he came in with Carlos walking beside him. The two walked in awkward silence, not knowing what to say to each other at the moment. Steven decided to break the ice and try to start up a conversation.

Steven: "So uh... what were YOU doing in the middle of the words?"

Carlos turned his head to the side to look at Steven.

Carlos: "Me? Well I was just running around, trying to test my limits and see how fast I could run. But I kinda got distracted, and... well, you saw me on the ground, so you can probably guess what happened."

That was mostly true. Carlos was indeed trying to figure out how fast he could go, and see if he could go faster than even that, but there was another reason. One that Carlos would rather not talk about at the moment right now.

The silence resumed, but only for a few seconds as Steven decided that it'd be better to keep talking instead of walking quietly.

Steven: "Well what gem do you have? I don't think I've seen one like yours."

Carlos raised a brow at him. What did he mean by that exactly? He decided to just shrug it off for the moment, and just answer the question.

Carlos: "Mine's a Cobalt. Not as cool as a diamond like yours, but the powers I get are still very awesome."

Steven ignored the irritation that was building up by the mention of diamonds in favor of thinking about Carlos's gem.

A Cobalt.

That's certainly another Gem that Steven wasn't familiar with. Not only that, but he's never seen one anywhere. Not on Earth, Homeworld, or even former colonies during his time liberating them.

Steven began to wonder if the Crystal Gems knew anything about a Cobalt. If they didn't know, then the Diamonds would. But he'd rather NOT go back to Homeworld and ask them. Heck, he'd prefer to avoid them as much as possible if he could. Despite what some might think, he never really forgave the Diamonds for what they did. He wasn't sure if he could. After what they did, and what they put him and his family through. After what WHITE did to him.

She nearly killed him, and all he had wanted was to talk. Sure they did end up talking, but it didn't erase the pain that he felt. He'd never be able to forget that, and it made him angry.

Angry at White Diamond.

Steven snapped himself out of those thoughts, suddenly feeling a bit scared.

Steven: 'Woah... where did that come from?'

Thankfully, he didn't have to dwell on those thoughts for long as he spotted his car up ahead.

Carlos: "So I'm guessing that's your car?"

Steven: "Mhmm."

He opened the door, and started grabbing his snacks to show to Carlos as to give him options on what he could have.

Steven: "Okay, So I've got a few bags of Chaaps, some trail mix, a few candy bars, and a couple of juices. Is there anything in particular you want?"

Carlos took some time to ponder on what he wanted. There weren't that many options, but all of them were pretty tasty. He just needed to figure out which ones would be more tasty and satisfying. The chips were a no brainer, but he needed more than just that. After a few more seconds, he made his coice.

Carlos: "I'll just take a bag of potato chips, one candy bar, and a juice."

Once Steven handed him the requested snacks, he wondered what he should do now. He allowed the other hybrid to have a few of his snacks and let him follow him back to his car, but he wasn't sure what to do now that it was done. He could continue on driving once he got the car starting again, but what about Carlos? What would he do?

Carlos: "Thanks for the snacks."

Steven: "Sure. If you don't mind me asking, where are you heading?"

Carlos: "Honestly, I have no real idea. I'm just going wherever the wind takes me. Or at least, that's what I was doing. Right now, though, I'm heading to New York, Manhattan. It's right up ahead actually. You headin' there too?"

Steven was almost surprised by the coincidence. That's exactly what he was doing when he was driving. Except he was following the road he was traversing, and wasn't originally planning on going there.

But since it is up ahead, or at least thirty minutes away on car, he might as well head there too

Steven: "Well I also wasn't going anywhere in particular either, but I figured that I might as well go there too. And if you're going there anyway, then would you like to, uh... head there together?"

Carlos blinked in surprise. He didn't think that this guy was also just going wherever the wind took him, but apparently he was. And to top it all off, he was invited to join him on his trip to Manhattan. Carlos was actually feeling a little excited, and a different feeling he couldn't describe right now. He had been feeling rather lonely while he was running around. Maybe he could finally make a friend here.

Carlos: "Yeah, actually. I wouldn't mind heading into the city with someone. That is, if you're alright with it."

Steven nodded, indicating that he was. Carlos walked to the other side of the car, and got on the front passenger seat. Once Steven entered the drivers seat, he twisted the keys to try and start the car again. After a few more attempts, the car finally started, and Steven began to continue onward.

Carlos: "Roadtrip! Whoooo!"

Steven turned his head to look at the excited teen next to him, then back to face the road in front of him. A small smile crept onto his face.

Steven: "Yeah... I guess this is a roadtrip now."

———————————————

Meanwhile in a secret lab at an unknown location, a man looking to be in his late 50s to early 60s was looking at radar that showed a sudden energy spike in a forest.

????: "Hmm, this again. Last time this spike occurred was at least a year ago, and it was far bigger."

The old man brought up what appeared to be holographic map of the United States. A holographic explosion occurred on the map, simulating the energy spike.

????: "Not to mention it also occurred at Nashville, Tennessee."

The man stared at the simulation of the exploding blue energy, and then brought up an image of a camera recording the events of a robbery. From the camera, it showed a man holding a gun to a young boy wearing a pink varsity jacket. Then suddenly, the camera shows a blue blur appearing and stopping the thief. The old man paused the footage, then rewinded it so that it was paused at the moment the blue blur appeared. The camera couldn't see the person who was behind the blur, but the blur itself was very visible.

The old man wore a wide smug grin on his face.

????: "So that's where you are now. I couldn't find you last year because you barely left a trace after that stunt you pulled. But this time... you're mine."

* * *

**_A/N: This was a very difficult chapter to write. Not just because of how sad I became after watching the SUF Finale, but also because I suck at writing social interaction. But hey, now it's done, and I've had time to come to terms with the show being over. I would also like to answer _Ironchef13's _question by saying yes, I'm mostly keeping the story the way it is. However, I am gonna try to make it more like Canon too, while also adding my own twist. Think of it as an AU, but also not really an AU. _**

**_And with that said, I hope you found this chapter tolerable at least. And if you have any thoughts, feel free to leave a review and let me know. Any criticism is welcome as long as it's not harassing anyone. Peace._**


	6. Ch 5: Roadtrip

_Ch 5: Roadtrip_

Steven had been driving for a few hours now. Within those hours, some interesting stuff happened: A robbery went down at the gas station he was in, he witnessed a Blue Blur appear and stop said robbery, and he met the blur themselves, who was currently sitting next to him on the front seat of his car. Not only that, but he learned that the blur's name was Carlos Cloudian, and that he was a Hybrid just like Steven himself.

Now twenty minutes later, they are on their way to Manhattan. Neither one of them had said a word to each other since Steven had started driving, mostly because they were minding their own business. Carlos was wearing headphones, seemingly listening to music on his music player, while Steven simply continued to drive. The boy couldn't help but feel awkward from the silence. He was also starting to feel stupid. Why would he just invite this guy to join him for a car ride? Sure he didn't seem like a bad guy, but appearances can be deceiving. He could have also had alternative motives for saving the cashier lady and him.

Steven: 'Calm down, Steven. You're just being a little paranoid. While it was a bit dumb to just invite a stranger into your car, it's not like it's the worst decision you've made. And he seems like a good guy. You just need to have faith.'

Unbeknownst to Steven however, Carlos was having similar thoughts about what happened. He felt like an idiot for doing this. Mostly because he told himself about how he thought he could make a friend, yet he doesn't even know what to talk about.

Carlos: 'Well, I feel very stupid right now. I came here to make a friend, and yet I'm sitting here all quiet and stuff. But what should I even say? He hasn't said anything throughout this whole trip, so I'm not sure how to break the ice.'

As he kept thinking to himself, he thought he heard Steven trying to talk to him. He pulled out one of the earbuds from his ear so he could understand what he was trying to say.

Carlos: "Sorry, were you saying something?"

Steven: "I was... trying to ask where you're from."

The dark blue haired boy was stunned by the question. He feels like he should have expected a question like this, and yet he wasn't. He really didn't want to answer, but he didn't want to be rude about it, so there wasn't much of an option.

Carlos: "... nowhere."

Steven: "Nowhere?"

Carlos: "Well, not literally nowhere. I mean... it's complicated. I don't want to talk about it right now."

Steven: "Oh... okay..."

From there, it went back to silence. Steven had mainly asked that question to maybe get a conversation going and learn more about this heroic stranger, but now it was already over.

Steven: 'Well, so much for that.'

Carlos: "... How 'bout you?"

Steven: "Huh?"

Carlos: "Where are you from?"

Steven had not expected that question truth be told. He had assumed that the conversation was over since Carlos refused to talk about where he was from, but he was wrong. He's not complaining though.

Steven: "Oh... well, I come from a small town called Beach City."

Carlos: "Beach City, huh... I don't think I've heard of it."

Steven: "You probably wouldn't have. Unless you follow the KeepBeachCityWeird blog on Ramblr."

Carlos: "Ramblr? Like the website?"

Steven: "Yeah. It can also be an app on your phone."

Carlos: "Well, I certainly wouldn't know about it then because I don't have one."

Steven: "... You don't have a phone?"

Carlos: "Nope."

Steven was slightly surprised at this revelation. But when he thought about it, he realized there was probably a reason for that. It didn't matter that much at the moment though. He just wants to keep this conversation going until they can get to New York. Anything but the awkward silence. But then another thought occurred.

Steven: "... Wait, if you don't have a phone, then how do you know about Ramblr?"

Carlos: "Uh, Libraries? They have computers there, you know?"

Steven: "Well yeah, but you need a library card in order to use it. Do you actually have one?"

Carlos: "Lets... not get into that yet."

Steven gave Carlos a suspicious look. The other hybrid was clearly trying to hide something. What it was, he didn't know. However, he suddenly thought of what he might be trying to hide.

Steven: 'Wait, he didn't-'

Carlos: "Woah dude, look!"

Steven turned his head toward the direction that Carlos was pointing at. As it turns out, they were about to pass a sign that said "World's Largest Rubberband Ball". Steven couldn't help but feel curious about it.

Steven: "The World's largest Rubberband Ball? That sounds pretty cool."

Carlos: "I know, right? You think we should check it out?"

The boy thought about that, but he ultimately wasn't sure. On one hand, they could probably make a stop there and have a bit of fun there before arriving at Manhattan. On the other hand, it could end up being disappointing.

Carlos: "Actually, you know what, I'll go check it out myself."

Steven: "What-?"

Before he could finish that sentence, Carlos was gone in a blur. Steven jumped a bit when Carlos came back after a few seconds. When Steven took a look at the other hybrid, he saw that Carlos was wearing a hat that had "World's largest Rubberband Ball" written on it. He also seemed to be carrying a couple of small rubberband balls.

Carlos: "Nah, lets just keep going. It's pretty lame. The gift shop was cool though."

Carlos pulled out a paddle ball from behind him, and began hitting the ball at a fast pace.

Carlos: "Heh heh, check this out."

He looked at Steven, who was just staring at him with wide eyes. This got Carlos a bit confused. Was he surprised by how fast he got back here? Why? Steven had seen how fast Carlos was when he was saved by him.

Carlos: "Hey, is something up?"

Steven: "You... did pay for those, right?"

Carlos froze. So that's what why he was looking at him that way.

Carlos: "Oh... um... maybe?"

Steven: "You stoke them!?"

Carlos: "Oh come on, they had some nice stuff there, and I didn't have any money!"

Steven: "That doesn't give you the right to rob a gift shop!"

Carlos: "Hey, it's not like I took everything! Just a couple of things here and there! Besides, I didn't even steal any cash!"

Steven: "That doesn't make it better!"

The Diamond hybrid sighed to himself. So it turns out he was dealing with someone who seemed to be heroic, and was somewhat a thief. That definitely wasn't going to be stressful.

Steven: "Okay, look. If we're gonna be hanging out in Manhattan together, we need to set some ground rules. One of them being no stealing anything from stores or people."

Carlos: "Alright, fine. But if that's the case, then you'll need to pay for everything we get. You sure you can do that? Because I obviously can't."

Steven: "Don't worry about that."

With that, the silence returned. Neither one of them said anything. Steven actually preferred the awkward silence this time. He was pondering on whether or not he should go back and pay for the stuff Carlos stole. Moral wise, it was the right thing to do. But if he did that, he'd have to explain to them why he's paying them this money, and how their products were stolen. That'd probably be a big headache for everyone. In the end, against his better judgement, he decided to just leave it be this time. Carlos suddenly asked a question.

Carlos: "Hey, you got any tunes for this car?"

Steven: "Uh yeah, hold on. Let me just grab something."

Steven opened one of the shelves of the car, and grabbed a cassette tape. There was some writing on it, which read "Looking Forward". Carlos was somewhat intrigued by the tape. He didn't think anyone still used cassette players for music. The Diamond hybrid inserted the tape, and music began to play. It was rather relaxing. Carlos had never heard this song before, but it was pretty nice. The melody was very soothing, and the lyrics themselves were somewhat clever in his opinion. A song about moving forward pretty much. Or Looking forward in the song's case.

Carlos: "This is a pretty relaxing song."

Steven: "Mhmm."

Carlos: "The message is also pretty powerful too, don't you think? Despite everything that happens in our lives, despite whatever type of person we used to be; in the end, we keep looking forward."

Steven: "... Yeah... we do..."

But that was the problem for Steven. Even if everyone else is looking forward in their lives, Steven isn't. He thought he was at first, but after everything that happened back in Beach City, he realized he's the only one who hasn't been looking forward.

Steven: 'Why? Why can't I move forward like everyone else? Why am I stuck while everyone else is free?'

Carlos: "Hey, dude!"

Steven was snapped out of his inner thoughts by Carlos.

Steven: "Huh? What?"

Carlos: "You spaced out for a moment. You alright?"

Steven: "Y-yeah, I'm fine."

The other hybrid gave him a curious look before deciding to leave it be for now. Steven felt relieved, and continued to focus on the road. Now that he thinks about it, he realizes that what he was doing earlier was very dangerous. He could have crashed from doing that.

Steven: 'Okay, Steven. From now on, just focus on the road.'

But he wouldn't need to focus for too long as he saw a big city in the small distance.

Steven: "Looks like we're here."

Carlos: "Whoo yeah!"

And Steven was correct. After about thirty minutes of driving, they had finally arrived at their destination. Carlos could not wait to explore, while Steven simply hoped he would be able to enjoy his time here and find the answers he's looking for.

—————————————————

Meanwhile, back at the Sunoco Gas Station, the cashier lady was currently standing at the register, waiting for the next customer to arrive and purchase stuff. Someone then entered the station, and walked to the front of the stand. An old man around his late 50s to early 60s. The same old man that had been reviewing the footage of the robbery here.

Cashier: "Hello, sir. Can I help you with something?"

Old man: "You can indeed, young lady. I was wondering if I could ask you some questions concerning the robbery that occurred here."

Cashier: "... Are you a cop? Because the cops already questioned me when they got here."

Old man: "Oh, no no. I'm no cop... I do work for the government however, and I'm investigating someone who I believe may pose a threat to us all."

Cashier: "Really? Who?"

Old man: "I'm not at liberty to say. However, I do believe it would greatly benefit the both of us if you describe to me everything that happened."

Cashier: "... I'm not gonna get in trouble for this, am I?"

Old man: "So long as you cooperate, you won't."

Cashier: "... Okay then. What all do you wanna know?"

Old man: "Tell me everything."

—————————————————  


Author: Okay, it's the summertime. That should give me plenty of time to come up with a few things for the new chapters.

**_2-3 months later_**

Author: DAMMIT!

—————————————————  


**_A/N: You know, you'd think with it being summer and the whole pandemic going on, that I'd have more time to write at least 2-3 new chapters. But hey, it is what it is. I honestly didn't enjoy writing this chapter that much, but I think it turned out alright. Hopefully you guys liked it too. Again, if you have anything to say, let me know. I'll see you guys in the next chapter. Peace._  
**


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